Just like in the first leg, the midfielder decided the derby with a penalty, but this time he only scored on the rebound.
They are still teenagers, but they play like grown-ups. The derby between the B teams of Sporting and Benfica, in the 32nd round of the II Liga , had strategy, daring and emotion, the usual ingredients in duels of this caliber, and smiled on the eagles [1-0], who thus secured their place in the league.
Interestingly, the match was decided [almost] in the same way as the first leg. In both, Benfica benefited from a penalty, both taken by Diogo Prioste, but this Friday the midfielder only scored on the rebound after a great initial save by Sporting ‘s goalkeeper , Francisco Silva.
The game opened with Sporting B being more dynamic and pressing, determined to take away time and space from their opponent, and they almost scored in the 5th minute when Paulo Cardoso broke free on the left, but Voitinovicius made a good save.
That initial image of green and white superiority faded as the minutes passed. Gradually, Benfica B imposed themselves and created the best chances until halftime. The clearest opportunity came from Anisio, who, on the half=turn, hit the crossbar of the Sporting goal [13m].
The Eagles finished the first half with more possession [56 percent] and shots [six against two], but the score remained 0-0. This spurred them on when, in the 53rd minute, Paulo Cardoso beat Voitinovicius, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Recovering from the scare, Benfica B responded promptly and even scored, through Diogo Prioste, on the rebound after a penalty was initially saved by Francisco Silva [60m].
Forced to react, Sporting B pushed further up the pitch, but left some gaps at the back, which Benfica tried to exploit to close out the game. Newly substituted Peter Edokpolor had a golden opportunity to do so in the 76th minute, but, one-on-one with Francisco Silva, allowed the Sporting goalkeeper to make the save.
For Benfica B, this didn’t translate into a major setback, as victory didn’t elude them. But it could have been otherwise, because Victor Guzman, in the 90+5 minute, came within inches of equalizing with a header.
The victory in Alcochete guarantees Benfica’s stay in the Second Division , an objective that Sporting B, who finished with ten men after Bruno Ramos was sent off for assaulting an opponent, is also very close to achieving.